Cardinals announce season-ending torn ACL for Dockett

Posted by Mike Florio on August 18, 2014, 10:00 PM EST

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It’s inevitable that injuries will happen in training camp and the preseason. It’s impossible to know who they’ll happen to.

The bug bit in Arizona on Monday, with one of the key players on an excellent defense lost for the year. The team has announced that defensive lineman Darnell Dockett has indeed torn an ACL, and that season-ending surgery will be required.

An 11-year veteran, Dockett has missed only two games in his career. He’ll receive his full salary of $5.5 million in 2014, and in 2015 he’ll enter the final year of his current contract, at a base salary of $6.55 million.

The Cardinals’ announcement did not address whether Dockett tore his MCL, too. Contrary to multiple reports, a league source tells PFT that he did not.

We don’t need Dockett! Hell, the NFL told us as much when they suspended Daryl Washington for the entire year for smoking pot. Maybe he should have knocked his girlfriend out cold when firing up the blunt. It may have lessened his punishment.

What was a great defense last season seems in free-fall. Arians and company are going to earn their paychecks this fall.

Darnell is different but much loved in Arizona. I wish him well. I fear at his age this may be the end of his career. You can say what you want about him but he gave his heart and soul to the Cardinals. We will miss him.

Not good for the Cardinals- before this, I would have said they would be 3rd place in the NFC West and competing with Detroit and Chicago for the last wildcard spot. Now I’m not so sure; Dockett was a big piece.

digitalsasquatch says:
Aug 19, 2014 10:13 AM
I haven’t been a fan of Dockett since I watched him go waaay out of his way to drive his elbow into Matt Hasselbeck’s larynx while Hass was down and the play had been whistled.
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I remember that play well. one of the dirtiest players out there so I find it hard to muster up too much sympathy other than I do hate to see any competitor go down.